Ohio State vs. Michigan: 5 Ways the Buckeyes Can Salvage Their Season with a Win

The Ohio State Buckeyes are a disappointing 6-5 this season and are third in the Leaders Division in the Big Ten. Some of the blame can go on the suspensions to key players early on, but this team is still talented. There's simply no excuse for some of the performances this team has displayed this season.

The good news is that they can still salvage their season with a big win this weekend against the highly-ranked and hated Michigan Wolverines.

Here are five ways that the Buckeyes can pull out the victory. 

Force Denard Robinson to Throw the Ball

Denard Robinson is one of the most exciting players in the country because of his athletic ability, but the guy simply can not throw the football. He just lobs in the air, and it seems like it gets stuck in the clouds and he's lucky if his receiver comes down with it. 

He's only completing 53 percent of his passes and has thrown 14 interceptions to his 15 touchdown passes.

Let Robinson run, and Ohio State will be in trouble. Make him throw the ball by keeping him in the pocket and forcing him to convert third and long, and the Buckeyes chances of winning increase.

Let Dan Harron Run Wild

Running back Dan Herron is just recently coming off a suspension, but he has been slowly getting back into his grove. In just five games this season, he has ran for 556 yards and two touchdowns while averaging a little over five yards a carry.

Last year against Michigan, he ran the ball for 175 yards and one touchdown in the 37-7 victory.

If Herron can have a similar game, it will take a lot of pressure on Braxton Miller to make plays and keep the ball out of Denard Robinson's hands.

Let Braxton Miller Play

Braxton Miller is a gifted athlete and not so much a good passer at all. In fact, he's horrible, as he only completes 48 percent of his passes.

While he may not complete a high percentage of his throws, he can move the defense with his feet and find open receivers as he scrambles. He can also move the sticks as he runs for first downs.

Ohio State should consider throwing the play book out the window a little earlier in this game and just let Miller make plays on his own. We've seen him do it before, and sometimes, it works best with quarterbacks that have similar skill sets.

Miller will make plays for this team; it just depends how long the leash is in this game.

Win Turnover Battle

Winning the turnover battle is always important in any football game, and will be no different, as turnovers have killed the loser in recent meetings. Ohio State has a total of 12 turnovers this season, which isn't exactly, bad but will have to try and not turn the ball over at all in this contest.

The Buckeyes struggle to score points and have to take advantage of every possession if they expect to win this game. 

Take the Crowd out of the Game

This is an obvious one. It's Ohio State and Michigan, and you can expect the Big House to be rocking for this heated rivalry game. If the Buckeyes can jump out to an early lead and take the crowd out of the game early, it will make things a lot easier.

The more the crowd feeds into the Michigan team, the more difficult things will be for this Ohio State team. Taking the crowd out of the game is always important for the road team.

This game is no different.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]